Why a .design Domain Name Is Ideal for Designers

We all want to own a website name that reflects our interests and stands out. Previously you could only use website names that ended with .com, .net, and .org. Also, good .com names are too costly or already taken. For designers, .design is the new Top Level Domain (TLD). Having a .design domain name has a lot of benefits including content marketing, branding, recruiting, and more. Adding a .design at the end of your URL can attract people with similar interests.

Here are some of the reasons why you should use a .design domain name if you are a designer.

1. Branding:

The .design domain name helps with your branding to grow your business. It does not matter whether you are using your personal name or a unique business name, adding .design will help your viewers understand your focus area. In most languages, the meaning of the word design remains the same. So, a .design domain name stands out as it’s an internationally understood word. Adding .design at the end of your website URL makes it easier for visitors to remember your site name and visit again for inspiration. Hence, using .design can boost up your sales as well.

2. Diversity:

The .com sites have more than 326 million registrations, so the .design sites stand out being much fewer in number. Since most of the .com domain names are already taken, the trend of .design extension is spreading considerably. Also, purchase prices and renewal prices for .design domains are a lot cheaper than .com domains. A .design domain name helps the newcomers and young aspirants differentiate themselves. Lastly, a .design domain name helps the young talents compete with already established companies.

3. Source of Inspiration:

Having a .design domain name encourages you to add inspiring and engaging content on your website. People in the design field use such sites to overcome their creative block and draw inspiration. A .design website also provides different perspectives. Having a comment section on your .design website can bring in new ideas and help you improve the existing content.

4. Inclusive:

The .design includes all types of designers: web, product, graphic, motion, architectural, industrial, and more. While .design is specific enough to let visitors know what you do. On the other hand, it is broad enough to include various types of designers. Also, companies that do not focus on design as their core business can build a .design website. Companies including Facebook and Airbnb have launched their design-centric content under .design domain name.

5. Improve SEO rankings:

A .design domain name helps users and search engines identify you as a design professional.  As a result, a Google search for New York City Designer is bound to show your website with domain “nyc.design” at a higher place than another website with domain “nycdesigns.com”. This is a significant advantage in the competitive world of SEO.  This helps you boost your visibility and increase traffic to your website. You can eventually convert this increased traffic into sales!

6. Content Marketing:

Using .design for content marketing is a great idea. Companies that do not provide design services are using .design as a platform to post fascinating content. For example, Airbnb has launched airbnb.design to share stories from inside and outside the department. Following this Dropbox and National Public Radio have also launched similar platforms. They have their .com sites for business while .design site is used to show their creative side. The .design extension has given them a platform to post ideas, videos, and articles to promote the brand and attract traffic to their websites.

7. Reduce your URL size:

If you have a .com domain name with a design word in it, you can replace it with a .design domain name. This makes the website name shorter so it becomes easy to remember. This solves the problem of people forgetting your website URL. For example, ‘nextgendesign.com’ becomes ‘nextgen.design’. Most website hosting providers allow you to change your domain name and still keep the same website. This saves trouble for designing a new website. So the website content stays the same while the domain name gets shorter and trendier.

8. Recruiting:

Facebook, Uber, and many other companies have begun to attract new talent through a .design domain. These websites are full of case studies of projects linked to their design units, showcasing the team that worked on those projects. Many designers who see such platform are inspired or interested to learn more. The .design site is a place to show how design is an essential skill. These sites may not be responsible for selling companies services and products but it attracts aspiring designers and is a great recruiting tool.

9. Community Building:

Companies are using .design to grow their business by including customers’ ideas and suggestions in product development. For example, kohler.design allows people to leave comments and add ideas on the content posted on the website. Kohler.design has put together an entire online community. Similarly, womenwho.design is a platform for female designers that encourages sharing of ideas and community discussions.

With the rising demand for design professionals, the .design domain is an excellent choice for designers to stand out. Some of the biggest brands are already using .design domain to increase their visibility. The .design domain will help you showcase your talent to potential clients. If you prefer to build your business in the design industry, a .design domain name is the best choice for your website.

We have teamed up with Porkbun to offer all WebDesignDev subscribers a FREE .design domain name. Get your ‘.design’ domain name here absolutely free for the first year! Yearly renewals will be just $35 instead of the usual $70 offered by most registrars.

The post Why a .design Domain Name Is Ideal for Designers appeared first on Web Design Blog | Magazine for Designers.

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